Field
Example embodiments relate to an aerosol-generating device and components for an aerosol-generating device. At least some example embodiments are also applicable to electrically operated aerosol-generating devices, such as electrically operated vaping devices.
Description of Related Art
Aerosol-generating devices may consist of a device portion comprising a battery and control circuitry, an electrically operated vaporizer portion, and a consumable portion comprising an aerosol-forming substrate. A cartridge comprising both an aerosol-forming substrate and vaporizer is sometimes referred to as a “cartomiser.” The cartridge portion may comprise not only the aerosol-forming substrate and an electrically operated heating element, but also a mouthpiece. The “mouthpiece” refers to a portion of the aerosol-generating device that includes a part which is placed into an adult vaper's mouth. During vaping, the adult vaper sucks on the mouthpiece to draw vapor or aerosol from the device. The vaporizer is typically a heating element, for example, comprising a coil of heater wire wound around an elongate wick soaked in liquid aerosol-forming substrate. In some examples, the aerosol-forming substrate may comprise a solid aerosol-forming substrate, such as granules or shreds of material, for example tobacco-containing material. The vaporizer may in such an example include a heating element which is arranged to heat the solid aerosol-forming substrate. In some known examples, the aerosol-forming substrate is an aerosol-forming liquid, sometimes referred to as an e-liquid.
Aerosol-generating devices are usually portable. Adult vapers often carry their device with them and, when not in use, may store their device in clothing pockets for ease of access. Such storage of the aerosol-generating devices may increase the risk of damage to the aerosol-generating devices. Some components of aerosol-generating devices may be fragile or are unable to withstand forces such as bending forces applied to them when being carried by the adult vaper. For example the movements of the adult vaper may damage the device being stored in the adult vaper's pocket. Although hardened carrying cases may be used to protect the aerosol-generating devices, such cases are necessarily bigger than the article they protect and may make the aerosol-generating device undesirably large or hard for comfortable pocket storage.